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Antioch theater seeks up to $3 cap on ticket tax and fewer required operating days; trustees to consider ordinance
Summary
Michael Sheedy asked trustees to authorize a flexible ticket‑tax schedule (50¢ increase now, cap up to $3 per movie ticket and up to $5 for live events) and to reduce minimum operating‑day requirements to give the Antioch Theater financial breathing room while retaining licensing obligations. Board directed staff to draft ordinance language and a companion resolution for a future meeting.
Michael Sheedy, representing the Antioch Theater, asked the board for flexibility in the village ticket‑tax rules so the theater could raise its retained revenue. Sheedy said the proposal would allow a modest immediate increase of 50¢ per movie ticket (bringing the typical $6.50 ticket to about $7) while authorizing the village to set an upper cap of $3 for movie tickets, $5 for live events and $10 for other categories.
Sheedy explained the mechanics: because a portion of any ticket‑price increase goes to studios, increasing the municipal ticket tax protects the amount that returns to the local theater and directly supports loan payments and building improvements. "By increasing the tax … 100% of that will come back to the theater," Sheedy said, contrasting that with the share the theater would retain after raising base prices.
Trustees and the village attorney discussed how the village would implement the change: the ordinance would establish the cap and tax categories, and a separate resolution (passed annually or as needed) could impose the specific per‑ticket amount within that cap for the coming year. Trustees also considered whether to allow the theater to reduce required operating days (the theater asked to lower the minimum to about 12–13 days to preserve licensing as a first‑run theater while allowing closed weekdays if demand is low). The board agreed staff and counsel should prepare ordinance and resolution drafts for consideration at a near‑term meeting, with March 25 discussed as a likely date for formal action.
